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10TH RED MASS, DINNER HONORS LEGAL PROFESSIONALS |
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by Mary Ellen Pellegrini, Special to the Exponent Friday, November 17, 2006 Prayers for the continued success and appreciation of the legal profession were offered during the tenth annual Red Mass held Oct. 27 in St. Columba Cathedral. The tradition, which dates back many centuries, was begun locally by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin in 1997. Msgr. Robert J. Siffrin, diocesan administrator, was the main celebrant and homilist for this year’s liturgy. Sister Melanie DiPietro, a Seton Hill Sister of Charity and canon lawyer, was the featured speaker at the luncheon which followed in St. Columba Cathedral Hall. Monsignor Siffrin welcomed members of the bench and bar to St. Columba Cathedral saying, “In working with the judges and attorneys of our community, I find men and women of great integrity, great commitment and great concern for our community.” As they joined together in prayer for guidance, strength and recommitment to the highest ideals of their profession, the celebrant said, “We ask the Lord to pour his blessings on the men and women of the legal profession because they serve us in such an important way in our community seeking justice and building up the common good.” Referring to the Gospel reading, Monsignor Siffrin implored the Holy Spirit to bestow his gifts upon members of the legal profession that they might be successful in all endeavors. “Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and guidance,” he said. However, even with the gifts of the Holy Spirit problems can occur that diminish His work, Monsignor Siffrin continued. “Forgetfulness and a lack of appreciation can minimize or impede the work of the Holy Spirit, can have very negative effects on all of us,” he explained. The homilist noted one of the reasons for coming together is to recognize and use the gifts of the Holy Spirit “to be successful for yourself, for the legal profession and for the common good of our community.” Along with forgetfulness and lack of appreciation, injustice, wrongdoing and sin also impede the workings of the Spirit, Monsignor Siffrin said. Noting that people’s actions affect their communities, he said, “We need the power of God’s gifts to heal and reconcile the people and community in which we live.” Because God is the ultimate source of the healing, he added, “We pray that the Lord will continually bestow his Spirit upon us and grant us the courage to search for the truth and draw us closer to each other in a community that cares for and respects the law.” Following the celebration of the Mass, Monsignor Siffrin called the proceedings in St. Columba Cathedral Hall to order. Judge Robert Milich led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance. Msgr. Michael Cariglio, J.V., pastor of Youngstown Our Lady of Mount Carmel, gave the invocation and the closing prayer. Judge Mary DeGenaro spoke on the mission of the Thomas More Society before introducing attorney and keynote speaker Sister Melanie DiPietro, counsel with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Pittsburgh office. She is founder and co-chair of the firm’s CARTA Group which concentrates on religiously affiliated corporations. Her extensive resume also includes positions as Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Seton Hall Law School in Newark, New Jersey; author and national/international speaker. In her opening remarks, Sister Melanie noted that for many years, the profession of law was defined as a ministry in the Canons of Professional Ethics. Today, she said the wording has been changed but “the remnants of ministry and service are still kept alive for us in the spirit and content of our professional rules.” Stating that the teachings of the Second Vatican Council formed her own experience as a lawyer, Sister Melanie discussed the lives of three religious notables in the context of those teachings. She then related how the imperfections and humanness of these men can serve as a source of inspiration and practical model for contemporary members of the legal profession. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers; Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest and scientist; and Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, shared struggles and challenges that are still faced today, she said. “Each one of these men had to live his adult professional life in a changing Church and changing political environment,” Sister Melanie explained. At times, their adherence to their beliefs brought isolation, abandonment and disillusionment with authorities, she said. In spite of their sufferings, the intense commitments of the three men to their work and their deep spirituality fueled an active engagement in their ministries, she said. “Neutrality and withdrawal from the Church or political environment in which they lived was not an option [for them]. If we adhere to the teachings of Vatican II, neutrality and withdrawal are not options for us either as lawyers.” Sister Melanie urged those present to learn from the benefits attributed to the works of More, Chardin and Escriva as well as the losses sustained when each was silenced by detractors. She offered a model for approaching professional responsibilities by quoting Escriva: “Sanctify your work. Sanctify yourself in your work. Sanctify others through your work.” Those words, she said, “are a good formula for the role of the contemporary Catholic lawyer.” Monsignor Siffrin concluded the day’s events emphasizing the importance of the Red Mass in honoring the legal profession. “The work you do is a very important part of our community and the Church wants our society to see that and support it,” he said. The Thomas More Society meets quarterly for Mass at the Cathedral and a luncheon. The next meeting will be held Jan. 26, beginning with 12:10 p.m. Mass. All members of the legal profession are invited to attend. Mary Ellen Pellegrini freelances for the Catholic Exponent from Girard Judge Clunk honored with ‘Lex Christi’ At the tenth annual Red Mass luncheon, Judge R.R. Denny Clunk became the fifth recipient of the Lex Christi Award. The award, established by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, has been given every other year to recognize a member of the legal profession who exemplifies a commitment to high ideals of that profession as well as a commitment to the needs of his or her community. Attorney Mary Beth Houser, who announced this year’s honoree, said, “The Honorable R.R. Denny Clunk has made a career out of service to his profession, his community and his church.” Judge Clunk is a retired probate judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Stark County and a member of Alliance St. Joseph Parish. He was a practicing attorney for 30 years before becoming a judge in Alliance Municipal Court in 1978 and Stark County probate judge in 1985. In presenting the award to Judge Clunk, Attorney Vincent Gilmartin expressed his respect for the judge and said the award is well deserved. The recipient thanked the Red Mass committee and those present for the honor and said, “I attribute my judicial success to my Catholic education, starting at St. Mary’s Elementary School in Massillon with the Sisters of Notre Dame and to my wonderful wife of 56 years, Josephine.” The Clunks have five children and 17 grandchildren. As a teenager, Judge Clunk had planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a physician. After graduating from Mount Union College in Alliance, he applied to medical school. Because the selection process was very competitive at the time, he said, he wasn’t accepted. An uncle, who was an attorney, suggested law school. “I applied to Western Reserve University [now Case Western Reserve University] and it was the right thing to do,” Judge Clunk said. Early in his graduate studies, he realized that law, not medicine, was his calling. “I didn’t like the sight of blood,” he said with a laugh. After passing the bar exam, Judge Clunk joined his uncle in practice in Alliance, dealing mainly with business law. “I had a wonderful experience as a lawyer,” he said. In 2000, the judge was honored by Pope John Paul II with the Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifica Award at the request of Bishop Tobin. Judge Clunk is one of three men in the history of the Youngstown Diocese to receive that award. Since his retirement in February 2003, Judge Clunk has been sitting by assignment in Mahoning, Trumbull, Summit, Ashtabula and Stark counties. He has served his community as a member of the Alliance Board of Education and the Alliance Community Hospital Board, as well as Alliance City Treasurer. Judge Clunk has been actively involved in his church as a member of the Knights of Columbus, former board member of the House of Loreto Retirement Home in Canton and former board chair for the Emmaus House for Retired Priests in Louisville. Past recipients of the Lex Christi Award include: 1998, Attorney John M. Newman; 2000, Attorney John L. Kurtzman; 2002, Attorney Charles J. Tyburski; 2004, Judge Martin P. Joyce. — Mary Ellen Pellegrini _______________ Red Mass refers to a Mass celebrated annually in the Catholic Church for judges, prosecutors, attorneys, law school professors and students, and government officials. The Mass requests guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice, and offers the opportunity to reflect on what Catholics believe is the God-given power and responsibility of all in the legal profession. The first recorded Red Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral of Paris in 1245. From there, it spread to most European countries. Around 1310, during the reign of Edward I, the tradition began in England. It was attended at the opening of each term of Court by all members of the Bench and Bar. The first Red Mass held in the United States was celebrated in St. Andrew's Church in New York City, near the courthouses of Foley Square. The Red Mass takes its name from the red vestments worn by the celebrant and people at the Mass. In the Roman Catholic liturgy, red vestments symbolize the Holy Spirit. Additionally, Judges of the High Court of England and all doctors of law wore red robes or academic hoods. One of the better-known Red Masses is the one celebrated each fall at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. on the Sunday before the first Monday in October (the Supreme Court convenes on the first Monday in October). It is sponsored by the John Carroll Society and attended by Justices of the Supreme Court, members of Congress, the diplomatic corps, the Cabinet and other government departments and sometimes the President of the United States. All officials attend in their capacity as private individuals, rather than as government representatives, to quell arguments with respect to a weakening of the separation of church and state. This logic had greater import in the 1950s when the first services were held, as Catholicism was viewed with greater suspicion than today in the American body politic. Controversy over the constitutionality of the Red Mass and attendance by American officials has been dramatized in such shows as The West Wing and Law & Order. |